Contents

Overview

The first and most basic application of this power is sensing or reading the fears of other beings. An example of this happened in 2004, when Barbas read Gideon's worst fear and then promised to tell no one.[1]

Projecting fear into reality

Barbas can read the fears of other beings and then projecting it into reality. Doing so will send their fear into overdrive, as they are forced to experience their greatest fear, paralysising them until they die of a heart attack.

The change in reality can sometime cause injury to the victim, as in the case of Tanjella. However, in Zoe's case, she suffered no other injuries other than a heart attack when he trapped her in a circle of fire.

In 1998, Barbas tried to kill Prue by using her fear of drowning against her. However, Patty came to her rescue and helped her to overcome her fears. This act neutralized Barbas and sent him to purgatory.

Brainwashing

Barbas: "The demons are after them. Even as we speak. They have assumed your sisters' identities in order to kill them. But you must kill the impostors first, by midnight."

On Friday the 13th in 2000, Barbas returned and attacked Prue again. However, this time he used his powers to brainwash her based on her fears; which was "losing a sister", since she had already conquered her fear of drowning. Barbas tells Prue that demons are masquerading as her sisters and she must kill them before they kill her real sisters. Fortunately, Phoebe and Piper were able to break the brainwashing by talking to Prue and getting her to believe that they were in fact her sisters.

Creating illusions based on fear

Paige: "Don't you see it? (Paige sees the walls moving inwards.) The walls are moving in on me. (She tries to leave the nursery but the door slams shut.) Help, get me outta here!"

Barbas can also create realistic illusions base on a person's fears. His illusions may be limited to visible manifestations that affect only sight, or affect all the five senses so that they cannot be distinguished from reality.

Barbas usually employ this method when he's attacking people within a group, presumably because he has to attack them individually because each persons fear is different.[2] However, it is just as effective as projecting someone's fear it into reality, because the victim will think the illusions are real.

In 2000, Barbas uses this aspect of his power to scare D.J by forcing him to witness an illusion of his greatest fear, which was Bane Jessup shooting him. Afterwards, illusion-Bane disappeared as well as D.J's illusionary wounds.

Subliminal Messaging

After learning how to astral project onto the astral plane as an invisible spirit in 2002, Barbas began to use subliminal messaging as a form of attack. First, he reads his victims fears, and then project as an inner voice to them, preying on their fears and doubts, and then reinforce that by creating illusions within their mind.

Barbas could also use this form of attack to manipulate his victims into fulfilling his aims. For example, he used subliminal messaging to trick Paige into stripping Cole of his powers so that he could steal them.

This form of attack allowed Barbas to attack and manipulate his victims without them ever being aware of his presence, as well as attack them from a distance.

Tracking with fear

"Well, then, you track him with his orbs. I'm going to, uh…Track him with his fears."

In 2004, Barbas revealed to Gideon that he could track people with their fears when suggesting ways of how to track down Wyatt.

Notes

When this power is used on witches, the fear will paralyze their powers, making them unable to defend themselves because of their powers being tied to their emotions. Their hair may turn white in the process. However, if one overcomes his/her fears, they will then be able to use their powers.

As shown in "Sympathy for the Demon", Barbas cannot read a witch's fear if they're in astral mode at the time.